Using Digital Sources

Full course description

In this skills course, you are  trained to use (digital) primary sources in  a critical and responsible way. Building on period 3 course ‘What is research?’, we will explore how digitization changes how we find, select, and use primary sources. We also consider their potential and limitations by practicing ‘source criticism’--an approach to assess a source’s reliability, background and perspective. This skills course focuses on three types of primary digital material: text (newspapers), structured data (numerical datasets), and audio-visual material (videos). Through hands-on, in-class assignments, you will learn to work with online databases to find, select, evaluate and interpret your own primary source material, which is an essential part of any academic analysis. Focusing on a topic that is central to the parallel content course ‘ICT Revolutions’—you will critically analyse the relation between personal computing and social change. The course will make use of resources and databases offered by the University Library.